Familiar Stranger
by EliteDragonSlayer
Summary: I added 2 chapters TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and no one's reviewing!! oh, i also added to unexpected ally, and, ANGEL IN DISGUISE AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. The New Slayer

  
  
  
  
*Familiar~Stranger*  
  
*3~years~later*  
  
Dilandau, the new leader of Zaibach, stood at the balcony of his room that was overlooking the training field for his Dragon Slayers. Folken had been killed in battle a few months ago, so he had been made the leader of Zaibach. He turned away from the field and walked back into his room and looked around. He was still getting used to the size of his rank; it was like being the king of a country. He sat down on his bed with a sigh. He walked over to his door and opened it to see Biore standing there.  
"Lord Dilandau? The new Dragon Slayer is here." He said, standing aside so Dilandau could walk by.  
"Where is he waiting?" Dilandau asked as he walked down the hall with Biore close behind.   
"He's in the training room, practicing while he's waiting for you." Dilandau entered the training room and saw a practicing by the training equipment. Dilandau froze when he saw him going through the paces. *I recognize that form, but where have I seen it before?* Biore glanced at Dilandau, then back at the new Slayer. He stopped, looking at them. Biore froze. *What's he going to do?* Biore flinched as the Slayer ran at them, jumped, turned a few flips in the air, then landed on his feet in front of a stunned Dilandau. He got to his knees.  
"I am honered to meet you, Lord Dilandau." Dilandau studied him. The boy had gold-like hair and when he looked up, he saw that this boy had blood-red eyes 4 shades darker then his own.   
"What's your name?" Dilandau asked.  
"Rafe, sir." He replied.   
"Rafe, is it?" Dilandau said questionally. "Well then, I gues that you should lose the show-off act and start acting the way a proper Dragon Slayer should act." Dilandau thought he saw Rafe's eyes start to darken slightly with anger, but then he looked away, bowing.  
"Yes, sir." Dilandau ignored him and walked away. Rafe straightened and looked at Biore. "Please tell me he isn't ALWAYS like that?" Biore nodded.  
"Unfortunetely, he can be very irritable. You'll get used to it though. Once he slaps you a few times, and he feels like you've settled into routine, he won't be as arrogant. Impossible as it may seem." Rafe laughed and followed Biore to meet the rest of the Dragon Slayers and to get his uniform.  
Dilandau sat in his room, thinking. *There's something strange about the new Slayer, I don't know what it is.* He stood and walked out of his room and down the hall to a room set back a ways. Closing the door and locking it, he sat down at a desk, then pulled out a drawer. There were many files in the drawer, and he pulled out one that read: Kanzaki, Hitomi with the Kanzaki crossed out and Fanel written above it. Opening the file, he pulled out a sheet that had much writing on it. Dilandau skimmed down over many stats, place of birth, parents, homecountry, battle skills.   
He then found a date: "Born Blue, 23rd moon, Died Red, 15th moon at age 17."  
He put the file back, leaving the paper out and started looking again until he found another file that read Rafe.   
"That's strange, no last name." He thought for a moment, then opened the file and pulled out a seperate sheet of paper. He looked it over. "What?!" There were many blanks, no place of birth, no parents, no homecountry, just battleskills were filled out, as well as date of birth. He looked closer at the date of birth. "That's not right. Green, 17th moon , that was 3 days ago." Dilandau pressed a hand to his forehead, clearly confused. "I need to have a talk with the sorcerers about this." He got up, put the files back and left the room, locking the door behind him.  
He walked out to the hanger and got into his guymelef, then left the anchorage. He landed in a clearing and got out, then looked around the clearing, searching for anyone's presence. Once he was sure that he was alone, he bowed his head. He bit his lip at the sudden sting of pain, but otherwise, didn't react.   
bowing his head. He grunted and every on his back muscle gradually flexed, tightened by pressure from what layed folded inside his back. He hunched over, breathing hard, fists gripping his pants tightly.  
His shirt started to tear, causing him to cry out slightly as massive wings quickly slid out of his back in a burst of titamium feathers. "I'll never get used to the pain." Dilandau gasped, reeling for a moment before getting his footing again, and stood with his head hanging, panting. "I don't know how Hitomi was able to do it without showing any pain. No matter how many times I let them out, they always hurt. Every time."  
"Every time?" A voice from the shadows asked. Dilandau  
straightened and instantly reached for his sword when he realized he did   
not have it with him. The person watching him must have noticed this   
movement. "There is no need for alarm, Dilandau-sama." The stranger  
stepped out and Dilandau's eyes ignighted with an inner fire.   
"What do you think you're doing, stalking your commander,  
Rafe?!" Rafe studied his wings, which he made no effort to hide.   
"With all due respect, sir, I wa not stalking you. I have come   
down here for a moment of solitude. I had no intention of stalking you,  
Dilandau-sama." Dilandau watched him carefully. "May I ask you a  
question, Lord Dilandau?" Rafe asked. "Do the rest of the Dragon   
Slayers know?"   
"Yes, they do. A few years after the Great War, many people who   
had kept their wings hidden were finally freed from the title demon, and now  
many people know about my wings, and many other people's wings.   
Unfortunetely, a small number of people still believe Draconians are   
demons, and hunt them down. Therefore, I don't announce my, new aspects,   
to every person on Gaea, and my Dragon Slayers are not to breath a word   
about them. The same goes for you. do you undestand?" Rafe laughed.  
"Don't worry, I understand exactly what you're going through, sir."  
"How can you know what I"m going through?! To know what it's like, being classified as a demon?!" Dilandau snapped. He was about to continue,   
when he heard a ripping sound.   
"Because we share the same blood, Lord Dilandau." He said quietly,   
as his wings, equal to Dilandau's in size and radiancy came into view. Dilandau   
just smirked.   
"Figures. Once people started revealing their wings, then every other person was a Draconian." *But how can he let out his wings without buckling over   
in pain?* "Tell me, does it hurt when you let YOUR wings out?" Dilandau asked.  
"Yes, as you so well put it, 'every time'. I just hide it well." They both withdrew their wings at the same time, and Dilandau pulled off his tattered shirt, then walked over to his guymelef and pulled out a new one from the control  
chamber. He jumped back down and started to pull it on. "How did you recieve your wings, sir?" Dilandau paused for a moment.  
"A Draconian who, was close to me, healed me one time, and passed them on to me. She also gave me her powers as well."   
"Where is she at the moment, and what kind of powers does she have?" Dilandau's eyes narrowed.  
"That is none of your buisness! Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back to the Vione." He got into his guymelef, then looked down at Rafe. "I expect you back at the Vione in 20 minutes." He then left.  
Dilandau landed and walked to his room, then stopped as something flashed across his mind and shook his head. "Can we never get a moment of rest?" Dilandau then turned to find Biore.   
He found him in the hanger, repairing his guymelef. "Biore!" Biore jumped down from his guymelef and ran over to him.  
"Yes Lord Dilandau?"  
"Tell all the Dragon Slayers to prepare for battle."  
"ALL the Slayes, sir? But we now have over 25 men. Shouldn't-"  
"I said ALL the men! Asturia, Fanelia, AND what is left of Fraid are attacking us!! Now go get them ready!"Biore ran off in the direction of the Dragon Slayer's dorm and told them to get ready for battle. Dilandau walked to his room and grabbed his sword, pulled on his armor, then left, thinking, *Now I'll get to see this Rafe's battling skills.*  
......................................................... ......................................................... 


	2. Strange Happenings

  
  
  
*Familiar~Stranger~2*  
  
  
Dilandau stood on the hanger with all his Dragon Slayers nearby. Rafe stood by Gatti.   
"What's going on?" He asked quietly.   
"Lord Dilandau has this strange power that Hitomi gave him when she healed him that let's him see things that are coming or are hidden. He has obviously sensed Asturia, Fanelia and Fraid attacking." Dilandau whipped around and glared at him, then turned back as he noticed an approaching Leva ship.   
"They brought guymelefs!" Dilandau hissed angrily. "Everybody get into your guymelefs and attack!!" The Dragon Slayers ran to their guymelefs and left the Vione. Rafe looked around in confusion. *We don't even know who's on board. We're just assuming that it's the countries that are attacking us?* Dilandau could sense Rafe's uncertiny and flew over to him. "Look, I KNOW that it's them, so stop doubting me and attack!!" He snapped, then flew ahead. Rafe sighed, caught up to them and instantly started attacking. He was shocked when he saw all the guymelefs inside the ship.   
"They're all from those three countries." He said quietly. One charged at him and he started battling with it. It started to force him backwards, but he dug his feet into the ground and pushed the attacker with as much strength as he had. Suddenly, his enemy pulled out a second sword while pushing back with the other sword and swung at his head. He jerked his head to the side, the sword just missing him. Without warning, the sword whipped to the side, catching the side of his guymelefs head and breaking the armor. He ducked down to get out of range, but   
was a second too late and it sliced open a small cut over his eye. It was small, but it stung like mad. Rafe ignored the blood running down his forehead and into his  
eye and kept fighting.   
Dilandau looked over at Rafe as he finally managed to defeat his enemy. *His guymelef is gonna need a serious repair job when he's done!* Dilandau then looked around. *Now where's that ever-reckless king of Fanelia?* He then spotted him charging at Miguel and smirked as he ran at him.   
"There you are." Van must have heard him because he quickly turned around. Dilandau could almost feel the anger pouring out of him as he attacked.  
"First you burn down my country." Van snapped as he swung down at   
him. "Then you corrupt my sister to join Zaibach, instead of claiming revenge for our family. But what I find most angering, is you let her die!!" He drove at him and struck Dilandau in the side. Dilandau fell to his knees, looking up at Van while gripping his side.   
"N-no, you're wrong. I, I didn't let her die. If you want the one responsible for her death, go talk to Allen Shezar. His sword is the one that wounded her." Van didn't move, seeming almost transfixed. "And if you want the ones responsible for not being able to save her, it was-" He stopped for a moment, the pain in his side growing. "The sorcerers." Dilandau finished. He then opened his guymelef and got out.   
"What are you doing?!" Van demanded.  
"I can't finish this battle with my guymelef so damaged and my side injured. So I have a deal. Let the Dragon Slayers go and you can take the leader of Zaibach instead."  
"Lord Dilandau, no!!" Miguel said, running up beside him. Dilandau glared at him.   
"You had better get me back out!" He hissed quietly, then pushed him away. Van studied him cautiously, then nodded.   
"Fine, we'll do that." Suddenly, one of Fraid's men ran up.   
"Your Highness, I got the newest Dragon Slayer in one of the cells in Allen's Crusade." Van groaned. *Perfect.*  
"Kay, fine."   
  
*15~minutes~later*  
  
"Yes, THIS was a good idea." Dilandau muttered as he yanked at his hands that were tied behind his back.  
"Well, I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were going to play hero and surrender, SIR." Rafe snapped. They heard footsteps approaching and turned to   
see a guard standing at the bars.  
"When you think you're done arguing, then we'll take you first." He said, pointing to Rafe.   
"And what on Gaea do you want me for?" He demanded.   
"Questioning, now shut up."   
"The charm never ends around here." He muttered as the guard came in, untied his hands and walked out of the hall.  
"They call it questioning, now?" Dilandau muttered. "Ha, nice cover-up. Only a rookie on the battlefield wouldn't know that this so-called, 'questioning' is just getting answers from beating." To his surprise, they only led him to the other end of the dungeon. "I thought they always did the beating in the other room." He said quietly. He looked up at more footsteps and saw Van walk in, then stand by the door of his cell.   
"I've always hated this part." He muttered as he watched them hang Rafe up by his wrists. Dilandau glared at him.  
"So why do you stand there and watch?" Dilandau snapped, glaring at him. "Why don't you stop it instead?" Van looked down at him, hatred in his eyes. *He still blames me for Hitomi's death.* Dilandau realized.   
"Because I have no control over it now." He looked over as he heard the first sing of the whip and watched it lash across Rafe's back. Van winced as it cut into flesh, leaving a thin trail of blood behind it.   
"Why do you care if my men suffer?! You've killed a fair amount yourself." Van looked at him in a way that sent a chill sliding up Dilandau's back.  
"Because I killed them in defense for the things I care about. These men are tortured, and for no reason." He then turned and left. Dilandau looked at Rafe and felt guilt for the first time since Hitomi died. He had several cuts across his back overlapping, as well as many across his now bare chest. He was obviously in a lot of pain but he refused to answer their questions. They gave up and let him down, then shoved him roughly into the cell. The men turned to leave, but one stopped.  
"What about the one in red?" He asked. One of the larger men walked over to him.  
"You're welcome to try, but no one's been able to get anything except curse words out of Dilandau Albatou, and then when he gets out, you're usually his first target. God, you new around here, aren't you?"They then left. Dilandau looked over at Rafe.   
"Well, I must say, you held out well." Rafe looked at him, rejection and hate in his narrowed eyes.  
"Yeah, but why do you care? The only thing you care about is whether or not your Dragon Slayers are strong enough to win this battle, or take over that country. I'm surprised you noticed anything outside the warfield." Dilandau's heart almost stopped. *That's exactly what Hitomi said before she left Zaibach.* He realized in shock. They heard an explosion at the control room.   
"And that would be a few of the Dragon Slayers coming to get us out." They heard men shouting, charging, then everything went quiet for a few seconds except for blades crashing, a body would hit the floor, and it start over again. Soon it was right outside their cell, a guard crashed to the ground, and Miguel leaned his head over the side of the cell.  
"Ah, here you are." He took some keys he'd stolen from a guard and unlocked the door. Dilandau and Rafe stood up, but Rafe's legs buckled under him since his back hurt too much. Dilandau walked over to him and helped him up,   
laying Rafe's arm across his shoulders to support his weight. Rafe looked at him in surprise.  
"What are you doing?"  
"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think it's called helping someone. You obviously can't walk on your own." Rafe was about to retaliate, but decided against it and they headed to the Leva-ship that the Slayer's had brought.   
  
They were now on the ship and heading back to the Vione, and Dilandau was fully enjoying himself watching Rafe's cuts being cleaned.   
"Good $%#!! What the $@&% are you putting on me?!"   
"I think it's called alcohol." Dilandau teased. He was called aside by a Dragon Slayer and reluctantly left the cursing Rafe. "What is it?"   
"Lord Dilandau? The infomation you wanted from the socerers about Hitomi's death?"  
"What about it?"   
"Well, we, we never found any information on Hitomi Kanzaki, sir."   
"Did you try it under Hitomi Fanel?"   
"Yes sir, still nothing." He dismissed the Dragon Slayer. *This is very odd. I haven't been able to find any info on Hitomi's death yet. It's as if she just, disappeared.* He looked over at Rafe and saw he was getting his chest wrapped in bandages. Dilandau walked over to him when he was finally left alone. Rafe looked up as he heard him coming.   
"Lord Dilandau, I, I'm sorry for what I said to you before. I-" Dilandau crossed his arms, a signal that Rafe grew to know as, shut-up. He looked down at the ground.   
"Don't be sorry. I deserved it." Rafe looked up in shock. "But don't expect me to forgive you the next time you say something like that to me again. Understood?" Rafe nodded. "Good, now get out of here, and be careful not to reopen your wounds."   
"Thank-you Lord Dilandau." He got up and left the room in the direction of the dorm. When he knew he was out of earshot, a frown crossed his face. "I may be sorry, but I meant every word." He opened the door to the dorm and fell back onto   
his bed. Instantly, 3 Dragon slayers tackled him.  
"Rafe, where have you been?!" Dalet said, actiong like a concerned mother. He then noticed Rafe gripping his chest in pain. "Rafe, you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, considering I was whipped 20 times on my back and chest, and you guys just landed on them."He gasped. Suddenly Miguel fought his way through the crowd.  
"What did I tell you idiots?! I warned you he was injured, but, no, it just totally didn't mean a thing, as usual, you guys never listen." He kneeled by Rafe as he managed to sit up. "Are you alright?" Rafe looked up at him.   
"Yeah, I'm fine." He rubbed his waist. "I'll be okay. None of them were reopened." Miguel nodded, stood and, glaring at the others, left. Rafe laughed silently at the expressions on their faces as they quickly apologized and left.   
After a while, Rafe looked over at Miguel. "Hey Miguel?" He looked up from sharpening his sword.   
"Yeah?"  
"Has Dilandau-sama always been such a jerk like he was back in the Asturian dungeon with me?" He said, anger growing in his voice. Miguel looked startled for a moment.  
"N-no, not as far as I know, why?" Rafe's eyes flared.  
"It was like he was actually TRYING to get me mad." Miguel looked at him, blinking in shock, then started to laugh. Rafe was astonished. "And what is so funny?!"   
"I'm sorry, it's just that you remind me so much of Hitomi that if you were the opposite gender, you would be her." He then calmed down. "But you obviously can't become Hitomi because she died 3 years ago when Dilandau-sama was 17." Rafe was getting very annoyed.  
"Will someone tell me just who this Hitomi is?!" Miguel looked up at him, startled at the sudden outboast.  
"Rafe, are you okay, you don't look so good all of a sudden." Rafe didn't answer as he was now bent over, panting and gripping his shoulders tightly. Miguel stood up, mesmerized. "Rafe?" Suddenly, Rafe's shoulders contracted slightly and Miguel heard the sickening crunch of bones. Miguel looked over at the Slayers. "One of you go tell the sorcerers. The rest of you, get out of here, I don't know what's going to happen." They all took off, Biore going to tell the sorcerers, and Miguel looked back at Rafe in time to see him calm down. "Hey, you okay?" He looked up at him.   
"Yeah, I'm okay." Then Miguel noticed something that almost scared him. Rafe's eyes were a vibrant emerald green for a second, then Miguel heard another crunch of bones and he looked up to see where that noise was coming from, then looked back down at Rafe, who now seemed like this had never even happened, with his normal blood-red eyes.  
"Rafe, what just happened to you?"  
"I, I'm not sure." 


	3. Transformation

  
  
  
  
  
*Familiar~Stranger~3*  
  
  
Biore stood before the sorcerers, clearly nervous.  
"So you say Rafe was acting strangely, and gripping his chest as if in pain?" One of the sorcerers said quietly. Biore swallowed, then nodded. The sorcerers turned to each other and started talking quietly. Biore took the hint and left.   
"The Albatou went through the same thing, do you think it could be wearing off?"   
"We should call for Rafe and redo it." Said another, but the last one looked unsure.   
"Are you positive that's wise? We almost lost Albatou because of it." The others turned to him.  
"Would you rather Dilandau find out who we USED for the Fate Alteration?" The sorcerer sighed.  
"You are right. I will go retrieve the Slayer Rafe." He then turned and entered a seperate room where he called up Dilandau on a screen.   
  
*10~minutes~later*  
  
Dilandau stormed through the hall towards the Dragon Slayer's dorm, obviously angered about something. He slammed the door open and called Rafe over to the door, then led him down the hall.   
"Lord Dilandau, where are we going?" Dilandau glared at him.  
"WE'RE not going anywhere. YOU'RE going to the socerers. They want to see you for some reason." Rafe froze in horror.  
"T-the sorcerers?" He stopped suddenly, startling Dilandau. "No! I, I'm not going back to them!"   
"You are, and you're going now." Rafe pulled back on Dilandau's grip.  
"NO. I'M. NOT!!!!!" Dilandau got fed up and hit him over the head with the back of his sword. Rafe instantly collapsed.   
"Sorry 'bout that, but the sorcerers threatened to take me off Zaibach if I didn't bring you to them." He looked down at him. "I wonder why they want you so badly. And I wonder what he meant by, going back to them."   
  
*30~minutes~later*  
  
"LET ME GO!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!" The sorcerers looked down at him with no expression in their faces.   
"When will he change back, if he does?"   
"We won't give him that chance." The one closest to Rafe answered as he took out a needle. Rafe instantly noticed.  
"NO, GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!! I DON'T WANT TO BE THIS PERSON ANY MORE!! I WANT TO BE MYSELF AGAIN!!" He said, his voice cracking with fear. The sorcerer ignored him and shoved the needle into his arm.  
  
*Back~At~The~Vione*  
  
Dilandau stood in the hanger, waiting for the Leva-ship to bring back Rafe. Soon it came into view and docked. Dilandau walked over and watched as Rafe was led onto the Vione. He jerked his arm out of the grip of the guard and walked over to Dilandau. The guard looked over at Dilandau.   
"If he starts acting strangely again, let us know." Dilandau watched him leave, then turned to Rafe.   
"Come on. Let's get you back to the dorm." Rafe nodded and followed him down the hall.   
He entered the dorm, and was surprised to find it empty.   
"They must be at training." He said quietly, and left for the training room.   
He entered the training room and saw everyone practicing. "Good, I need to practice." He walked over to Viole, who was standing off on his own. "Want to battle?" Biore nodded and pulled out his sword; Rafe followed suit and they got into postition.   
"I'm warning you, I've practiced." Biore said. Rafe smirked.  
"Good." he hissed as he charged.   
  
Dilandau watched him straining against Biore's sword and wondered why the sorcerers wanted to see him so badly. *He doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him.* Biore pushed against him hard and Rafe stumbled back a few steps before getting his footing again. "I see you have practiced. I like that, it makes you a better challange." And he continued to battle.   
  
Afterwards, Rafe was leaning against the railing watching the scenery slowly roll by. He stared down into the lake under the Vione and noticed fish swimming beneath the surface. He heard the click of boots on the floor and turned to see Dilandau behind him.  
"Rafe, do you know why the sorcerers wanted to see you?" Rafe looked back down at the lake.  
"Yeah, but I'm not allowed to say." Dilandau walked over beside him and looked down at the lake. He reached up to his neck and clasped the necklace he wore without realizing what he was doing. Rafe looked over and saw him holding something. "What's that?" He asked. Dilandau looked at him.   
"What?"  
"That, in your hand." He said, pointing. "What is it?" He looked down.  
"Oh this? A friend gave me this necklace before-" His voice cracked. "Before she died." He pulled away his hand and showed Rafe the red pendant hanging off a thin chain. Rafe studied it.   
"Strange."  
"What?" Dilandau questioned. Rafe brushed his fingers over the pendant.  
"This looks familiar." Dilandau narrowed his eyes and pushed away his hand.   
"Curfew is in 30 minutes. You're late, you sleep in the hanger." He then walked away. Rafe turned back and looked down at the lake. He heard Dilandau slam the door behind him and smirked.   
"I'm 20, and I have a curfew." He then thought of the pendant. Suddenly, he realized where he had seen it before. He bent over as a sudden shot of pain ran across his back. Rafe started gasping and fell to his knees. He felt his bones suddenly give a loud crack and gasped as his shoulders seemed to compact into the shape of a female's. His eyes changed color as did his hair. Soon it quieted and a different form stood up. She shook her hair out of her eyes and looked around. "Where, where am I?" She looked down at her hands and was shocked to see them covered in gloves. "These are Zaibach's Dragon Slayer's gloves. So that means..." She looked around,   
a small grin crossing her face "...I'm back." She noticed that she was in the hanger. "I wonder if they still have my guymelef." She wandered around the hanger until she saw it sitting a ways away. "They did keep it!" She climbed up and looked it over. "They repaired it? I wonder why they did that." She then noticed someone else's sword sitting in the control chamber. "What...?" She reached in and grabbed it. "This isn't my sword so...they gave MY guymelef to someone ELSE?!" Her eyes started to flare with anger.   
"HEY!! What are you doing in there?!" Called out a voice. She ignored it; she knew who it was, and pulled out the sword to look at the crest.   
  
Miguel got angry at the fact that whoever was on Rafe's guymelef was ignoring him and walked towards them as they got down while holding Rafe's sword. Miguel growled slightly and ran at the stranger, tackleing them and holding a sword to their throat. He blew the hair out of his eyes and glared at the trespasser. "Now, what do you think you're..." He gasped as he recognized the person instantly. "HITOMI!??!!"  
  
  
A/N: SEE? SEE?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO FREAK OUT ON ME!!! *L* *mob hangs heads in disappointment and walks away* 


	4. Angel Almost Recovered

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*Familiar~Stranger~4*  
  
  
  
  
"What...but I thought...the sorcerers...they-we were told that...I...oh man,   
I've got a headache." Miguel stuttered. Hitomi looked at him with wide eyes.  
  
"Miguel, what in the name of Gaea are you talking about?"   
  
"The sorceres said you'd died."  
  
"Well, obviously, they lied about it. But why..."   
  
"Shouldn't someone tell Lord Dilandau?" Miguel suggested.  
  
"Good idea. You tell him, I'll go tell the other Dragon Slayers."  
  
"What? Oh no, YOU tell Lord Dilandau, I'LL tell the other Slayers"   
  
"Yeah, great idea, Miguel. Have someone that he thinks is dead walk up   
to him and tell him that they're not." Miguel sighed and stood up.   
  
"Fine, I'll tell him." She watched him walk away to Dilandau's dorm.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Dilandau stared at Miguel with absolutely no emotions on his face.  
  
"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that one of my best Dragon   
Slayer that has been dead for 3 years was in the hanger on her old guymelef, and is   
now in her old dorm at the moment?" Miguel bit his lip then nodded.   
  
"Yes sir." Dilandau stared at him for a moment longer, then struck him   
across the face hard.   
  
"Do not make up lies about Hitomi, Miguel!" He snapped viciously. Miguel   
gripped his cheek, felt the frustration building up in him, then did something that he   
hadn't dared to do for 5 years.  
  
"I am not lying sir! I am telling you the truth! Hitomi Fanel is in her old dorm   
rightnow. You know I am telling the truth, you are just too scared to admit it!" He   
retaliated, his eyes filled with frustration. He could not believe that he had just defied his   
commander, but he didn't let it show through. Dilandau stood frozen where he was.   
Anger, shock and confusion swirled in his crimson eyes. Miguel swallowed and   
straightened his shoulders. "Hitomi will be expecting you to see her soon. I suggest you   
don't keep her waiting. He then turned and left.   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
When he was in the hall, he leaned against the hall, looking down at   
his hands to see them trembling. "I can't believe I just did that." Miguel closed his   
eyes and hung his head. "Next time he sees me, I am going to be in so much   
trouble."   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
Hitomi sat in her room, going over everything.   
  
"Everything is the same as the last time I was here." She said quietly. Opening   
a door, she found her ajoining bathroom and walked inside. She examined the entire room   
and then opened another door to see all her belongings that she'd left behind when the   
sorcerers took her away. She looked through it, finding many familiar things. She then   
stopped, her hand poised over one of the objects. "They, they found my dagger." She   
picked it up and examined the hilt with the Fanelian crest engraved in it. Hitomi bit her lip   
and ran her fingers over the still-sharp blade. Hearing the door in her bed chamber open,   
she slipped her dagger into her pants leg and was about to head into her bed chamber, but   
stopped when she felt sharp pains running through her back and fell to her hands and knees,   
panting, her back in a river of intense pain.   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau stood in Hitomi's room, looking around skeptically.  
  
"Why am I here? I know Hitomi's dead, so why am I standing in her room?"   
He walked over to her bed, saw that it was just as smooth as he usually kept it, and that   
nothing was disturbed. "If she IS here, I'd like to see her right now." He heard footsteps   
heading towards him from her bathroom and froze. He turned and stared at the door,   
waiting to see who was coming. When they came into view, Dilandau's heart stopped,   
then sank. "Rafe, just WHAT are you doing in Hitomi's room?!" He looked startled.   
  
"I, I'm not exactly sure, Lord Dilandau." He said nervously, looking around in   
surprise.   
  
"Well, get out." Dilandau said. glaring at him.  
  
"Yes sir." Rafe said, bowing, then leaving quickly. Dilandau looked around,   
a low and painful ache in his heart as he turned, left the silent room and quietly closed   
the door behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: AAWWWWWWW, poor dilly. so, freaked out yet? confused? kinda   
weird how the new d.s. is really hitomi, and dilly doesn't even know it!!!! his lost   
love is right beside him and he isn't even aware!!! should he discover who   
rafe really is? mmmmmm, i haven't decided yet. ha ha!!!!! i control their fate, and  
i decide whether or not they discover each other ever again!!!!!! will they? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............................. heh heh. just jokin'!!!!!!!!!!!   
sorry that the chapter was so short.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~Wild~Angel~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Serious Repremanding

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~Familiar~Stranger~  
  
~Chapter 5~  
  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau walked back to his room, surprisingly calm. He seemed to be in a slight   
trance. He ignored Dragon Slayers as they passed; didn't respond to their questions. He closed   
the door to his room behind him and walked over to his bed, pulling out his sword. Dilandau   
opened the drawerin his desk and pulled out his sharpening stone. Dilandau started to run the   
stone over his blade in long strokes. He only did this when he was in two moods: bored and   
p*ssed off. After a few minutes, he flipped the sword around and started over again. *Maybe   
Miguel was honest. That's the first time he has had the courage to snap at me like that.* Dilandau laughed bitterly. *Yeah, sure. Hitomi has come back from the dead.* He sighed, unconciously   
putting more pressure in his strokes. Soon sparks were starting to fly. He didn't notice until one   
of the sparks hit his hand. It left a noticable mark that hurt, but he just stared at his hand, not   
feeling the stinging sensation in his hand. Dilandau foundhe couldn't help but stare at the   
reddened burn on his hand. He rubbed the sore, then continued to sharpen his sword. After a   
few minutes, he felt his fingers rub against the sword and realized his stone had worn down far   
enough that he couldn't use it.   
  
"Guess I was rubbing too hard." He muttered. He then loked at his sword and was   
pleased for a few seconds when he saw that it was in the best condition it had been in for almost   
2 years.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~5~hours~later~  
  
After a bad battle, Dilandau called up all those who had their guymelefs damaged.   
Miguel, Viole, Gatti, Guimel and Rafe stepped forward. He struck the first four hard, but when   
he came to Rafe, he stared at him for a moment. "You still haven't explained what you were   
doing in Hitomi's room."   
  
"I have already told you sir. I am not sure myself." Dilandau stared at him for a   
moment, the struck him in the face hard, causing him to fall. When he stood again, Dilandau   
punched him in the stomach hard enough that when he fell to the ground, the air was knocked   
out of him and he couldn't stand. Dilandau looked over at Viole.   
  
"Stand him up and hold him, Viole." Miguel bit his lip. He and Rafe had become   
friends, and he hated to see Rafe being punished so severly. But he couldn't intervene, or   
Dilandau would start on him. Dilandau repeatedly struck him hard in the face and chest. Rafe   
had a split lip, a black eye, started to cough up some blood, and was positive that at least half   
his ribs were broken. Viole could no longer hold him up and Dilandau told him to let him go.   
Rafe fell to the floor, gasping in pain and continually coughing and spitting out blood. Dilandau   
kicked him hard in the side, then stopped, panting almost as badly as Rafe. He looked over at   
the other Dragon Slayers, then turned and headed for the door. Miguel kneeled beside Rafe   
and was about to help him up, when Dilandau ordered him not to move him. "You might make   
his injuries even worse." Miguel looked up at Dalet.   
  
"Go tell the healer's ward to get a bed prepared." Rafe looked up at Miguel.  
  
"Guess he wasn't too pleased with me."   
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
~30~minutes~later~  
  
When Miguel saw one of the sorcerers again, he was just leaving Rafe's room.   
Miguel stopped the sorcerer.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"He's asleep right now, sir. He has 15 broken ribs, a broken wrist, and several   
brusies." Miguel nodded slightly and the sorcerer left. Miguel walked into Rafe's room and   
looked over at the bed to see Rafe under light sheets. Rafe was awake and looked over at   
the sound of the door closing.  
  
"Hey." Miguel said quietly.  
  
"Hey." Rafe said hoarsely, his voice cracking. Miguel walked over to the bed.  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"Ready to die." He muttered. Miguel laughed.   
  
"After what you recived from Lord Dilandau, I'm not surprised." He looked down   
at Rafe's chest, which was heavily bandaged. "Did they tell you how long you're confined to your   
room?"  
  
"Yeah, at least 3 weeks they said."  
  
"Man, you're going to have to work hard to make up for all the training you'll miss."   
Rafe nodded in agreement, then closed his eyes for a moment, yawning. "You had better get   
some rest if you're going to heal." He turned and walked out the door as Rafe fell asleep. The   
door closed and Rafe turned in his bed, trying to get comfortable and wincing as pressure was   
put on his injured chest.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Miguel walked into the training room and sat down on one of the benches along   
the side, watching Viole and Dalet spar. Gatti walked over to Miguel and sat down beside   
him.  
  
"Hey, is Rafe okay?" Miguel looked at him.  
  
"Well, considering what he went through, he's not looking too bad. He's awfully   
pale, and his chest was heavily bandaged." Gatti studied him for a moment.   
  
"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Miguel rubbed his arm.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm also a little nervous. I've never seen Lord Dilandau injure anyone so   
badly." Gatti bit his lip.  
  
"Well, I'm sure that he only beat him so badly because he was mad about finding   
Rafe in Hitomi's room." Gatti then walked back over to where he and Shesta were having an   
arm wrestle.   
  
"Maybe." Miguel stared at him, then trained his eyes to the floor as he heard Dilandau   
walk into the room. Dilandau looked around the room, then stared at Miguel, curious to know   
why he was alone when usually he was sparring with someone. After a moment, he walked over   
and stood in front of Miguel. Miguel looked up after a moment.   
  
"Something wrong, Lavileir?" Dilandau questioned, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No sir, no there isn't."  
  
"You know, it's strange. You said that Hitomi was in her room, yet when I got there,   
all I found was Rafe. You wouldn't have had anything to do with it, would you?"  
  
"No sir. And I assure you, I wasn't wrong about Hitomi. I honestly saw her."   
Dilandau's eye started to twitch.  
  
"If I find out you're not being honest with me, you'l be joining Rafe very quickly." He   
then turned and left the room. Miguel felt like he was going to collapse, but he managed to sit   
down on the bench without falling and held his head in his hands.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: awww, poor miguel!!! *sniff* i's got's to be more nicer to him!!!  
  
~Wild Angel~ 


	6. Complexing Dream

  
  
  
  
  
  
~Familiar~Stranger~  
  
  
~Chapter 6~  
  
  
  
A few days later, Rafe was healing well and was able to get out of bed, but still wasn't allowed out of his room. Rafe didn't know how much longer he could last being confined inside. When training in their guymeefs, the Dragon Slayers had to pass his window, and he watched in envy as they battled. He absently ran his hand over the bandages underneath his shirt, thinking back about when he recieved the injuries. Looking down at his waist, he sighed and walked away from the window, and into his bathroom. Rafe pulled off his shirt and examined his bandages. They started just underneath his arms and ended below the end of his rib cage.   
  
"I can't wait to get these off. They're in the way of my wings, and I can't let them out." He rubbed his shoulder blade. "My wings are getting really cramped." He sighed, then walked back out into his bed chamber when he heard someone walk in. Rafe saw Dilandau standing in the doorway, staring at him. "Lord Dilandau, is something wrong?" Dilandau crossed his arms.  
  
"Folken sent me to check on you. Said something about me getting annoying when I was pacing around in the room, waiting for information from the General." Rafe nodded his understanding and walked over to the window, opening it and watching the Slayers practicing again. It was unnerving him, having Dilandau stare at him like that. After what he had been put through, he was slightly afraid of Dilandau. "I take it you're feeling better, since you're out of bed for the first time since you were put in here." Rafe winced slightly at the edge in his voice. Not wanting to show that Dilandau had successfully insulted him, he turned, a smirk on his face.  
  
"I'm not gonna justify that with an answer." Dilandau was surprised at his responce, and for the first time, wasn't able to come up with a response. When Rafe turned back around, Dilandau's eyes narrowed, and, with what little dignaty he had left, turned and left the room.   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau stood on the catwalk of the hanger, watching the Slayers practice,   
and glanced over to where one guymelef stood, unoccupied for a few years. He sighed, remembering the one person who stirred a feeling deep in his heart that he felt he was forbidden to let anyone else cause him to feel. He heard footsteps approaching, and   
turned to see who it was, expecting to see Folken, or one of the Slayers who had   
finished their training. Who he saw, made his heart stop, then start up again, pounding   
fast enough that if it went any faster, it would have killed him. "H-hitomi...but aren't   
you..."  
  
"Dead? She finished quietly, walking towards him. "Well, you're not the first   
person I've corrected." She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him. His   
arms instantly came around her back, drawing her to him, feeling like if he let go   
now, she would disappear again. "Why, Lord Dilandau, are you crying?"  
  
"Of course not." He denied, but it was obvious that this wasn't true, as there   
was a tear sliding down his face. She lifted a hand, brushed away the tear, then raised   
up and kissed him passionately. After a moment, he pulled away. "Where have you   
been?" Dilandau asked, determined not to let his voice crack.  
  
"Oh, Dilandau." She sighed. Leaning her forhead against his, she whispered,   
"I've been right beside you all this time."   
  
  
  
  
Dilandau woke up suddenly, breathing hard and sweating. "What the h*ll was that?!"   
He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Right beside me all this time? What   
does that mean?" The dream was so real, he could almost feel her pressed against him, could   
almost taste her kiss.   
  
Dilandau stood up and walked over to the balcony. Opening the window, he let the   
cold night air drift into his room. "I wonder if Folken would know what is happening."   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
~2~days~later~  
  
  
Dilandau sat on his throne, staring into space and thinking about his dream. Rafe,   
Miguel, and the others were on their knees in front of him, bowed down. *Something's   
wrong with Lord Dilandau.* Rafe thought. Miguel bit his lip, then looked up.   
  
"Lord Dilandau? May I ask what's wrong?" Dilandau didn't look down at Miguel;   
he barely flinched.  
  
"Nothing that you need to be concerned with, Miguel." He muttered, his gaze never   
wavering from the place on the wall that it had been locked on the entire time. "You're all   
dismissed." Everyone got up and left, Miguel pausing to help up Rafe, who was still slightly   
unstable. Rafe looked back at Dilandau to see he had finally changed position, but only to   
hold his head in his hands.   
  
"I wonder what's bothering Lord Dilandau." Miguel muttered, walking beside Rafe.   
  
"I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it's got him quite upset."   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
Dilandau sat on his throne, running his fingers through his hair. *It's driving me crazy.   
What in the name of Gaea did she mean by, 'I've been right beside you all this time.' ?* After a moment, he got up and walked over to the hanger, then stood on the catwalk, where the   
dream had taken place. He gripped the railing tightly, listening closely for any sounds.   
  
After 15 minutes he sighed and turned back to walk down the side of the hanger.   
Dilandau walked over to the edge of the hanger room and opened the hatch. Standing on the   
edge, he jumped off, enjoying the feeling of the air whipping past him. After a few seconds,   
he allowed his wings to burst out of his ack in a cloud of platinum feathers.   
  
Once he landed in a clearing, he pulled in his wings and started to practice his sword techniques on a nearby tree.   
  
30 minutes later, he had to stop. Breathing hard, he looked at the tree he had been   
practicing on, and laughed silently when he saw that he had almost completely destroyed it. He   
slid his sword back into it's scabbard and let his wings back out. He was about to take off when   
he felt something embede itself into the back of his neck. He stumbled forward, quickly drawing   
in his wings. He could feel the ground tilt before he blacked out.   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
Rafe stood on the edge of the hanger with Folken and the other Slayers, waiting for Dilandau. Rafe turned to Folken.   
  
"He's been gone too long. I'm going to go look for him." He passed them and walked   
over to his newest guymelef, since Dilandau had ordered them to leave Hitomi's alone. When he   
was inside and at the edge of the hatch, Folken called out to him.  
  
"Don't be more then 3 hours. If you can't find him by then, I want you to come back   
and get some Dragon Slayers to help you."   
  
"Yes sir." He said before taking off.   
  
After about half an hour of searching, he realized that he would be able to make a more thurough search on foot, so he got out and looked around. Noticing a clearing, he saw several feathers scattered over the ground and ran into the clearing. Getting to his knees, he saw   
horseshoe prints along the edge of the clearing. "So that's where they took him." He started   
following the trail. "Now if only I could find out who they are."   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
After a few hours of walking, Rafe came across a docked Leva-ship. "Well, so much   
for making it back in 3 hours." He hissed as he crept onto the ship.He was almost to the hold   
for the prisoners when someone grabbed him from behind. He whipped around and grabbed   
the unknown intruder's arm, then realized who it was. "Miguel!!! Don't do that!!"   
  
"Sorry, but I didn't think you would be coming back in the designated time, so I   
followed you."   
  
"We have got to find Lord Dilandau."  
  
"You won't have to look very far." A voice hissed from behind them. "Put your hands   
behind you." Rafe groaned, then turned to see a guard with a cross bow pointed at his chest.   
  
"Perfect." He muttered.  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
Rafe was tied to the wall by his wrists, and the way they were stretched was almost   
killing him from the pressure on his ribs. He looked over to Dilandau and Miguel, who were also   
tied up the same way. The guard came in and walked over to Rafe.   
  
"You seem to be in some pain. I think I'll put you out of your misery first." Dilandau   
watched as the guard pulled out a whip and snapped it, causing it to strike Rafe's ribs. Rafe tried   
not to cry out form the almost white-hot pain now running through him and bit his lip.   
  
Dilandau twisted in his bonds, but all he managed to do was hurt his wrists. He watched the guard stop striking Rafe for a second and stare at him as if studying him. "Hey, there's something building up inside this one. You don't think that it could be another one of theose sorcerer's weird..." He trailed off, asking one of the other guards.  
  
"Don't know. Keep beating him and find out." The guard continued as one of the others came and got Dilandau and Miguel, then led them over to a different room.  
  
"What's going on, Lord Dilandau?" Miguel hissed.  
  
"I don't know, now shut up, before you get us in trouble."  
  
"You boys are going to wait until it's your turn, in here." The guard slammed the door shut and walked away back towards the room.   
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
~30~minutes~later~  
  
  
Dilandau looked up at the sound of someone being shoved into the cell and they fell to their knees, gripping their waist in pain. The guard came and got Miguel next, so Dilandau walked over to the form laying on the ground in pain.  
  
"Hey Rafe, you okay?" The form looked up, and smirked weakly.  
  
"Sorry, this isn't Rafe."  
  
"Hitomi?!" Dilandau felt like he was going to faint, but Hitomi beat him to it and collapsed in his grip.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N:ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, another cliffhanger!!!!! my bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
~Wild Angel~ 


	7. __________(need name please)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~Familiar~Stranger~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~Chapter 7~  
  
  
Dilandau stared down at Hitomi, absolute shock written all over his face.   
*But, but how...* He found it was getting hard to breath and brushed a shaking hand over her face. He looked up at the sound of shouting, and gently pushed Hitomi off, laying her down on her back, then stood up. Miguel stumbled in and the guard came in for Dilandau. Even with Dilandau fighting him, he managed to drag him over to where they were beating the others and tied him up. Dilandau fought for a while, but froze when he felt the whip bite into his back. He stopped fighting, feeling he had to save his strength, and ignored the pain by tring to figure out what was going on with Hitomi. *I still can't believe she's alive. Those sorcerers lied to me. I'm going to have fun watching them trying to explain themselves.* He hissed as the whip bit even deeper. *Wait a minute. Where's Rafe?* Dilandau figured he'd had enough and started to struggle. The guards froze, narrowed his eyes and struck him even harder. Dilandau finally cried out, gasping as a large slice curled down his back and around to the side.   
The man finally stopped and cut him down. Dilandau fell to his knees, then stood with difficulty. He slowly made his way to the cell, and the guard shoved at him, causing Dilandau to literally growl at him.   
  
When he was back in the cell, he saw Hitomi sitting on her knees by Miguel, who seemed like he was listening to her. They both looked up as the door was slammed shut behind Dilandau, and he looked at Hitomi, who had tears starting in her eyes. She stood up and walked towards him until she was a few feet away, the hung back, as if she were slightly scared. He understood why she was nervous, he wasn't sure himself how he was feeling right now. After a moment, he scolded himself for standing there like a fool and walked over to her, drawing her into a tight embrace. Miguel was startled to see Dilandau displaying such emotion.   
  
"Oh, God, Lord Dilandau, I missed you so much." He could feel her teats streaking down her face and soaking his shirt as they had taken away his and Miguel's jacket to, 'check for weapons', and they hadn't given them back yet.  
  
Miguel watched them, still shocked at what Hitomi had told him. *Hitomi has been with the sorcerers all these years? And they've been...I agree with Hitomi. We shouldn't let Lord Dilandau find out about this.*  
  
"Where have you been all these years?" Dilandau asked, pulling away.  
  
"I am not allowed to say." She said quietly.  
  
"What do you mean, you're not allowed? You are under no one's command, but mine. I have told you to tell me, so yo are allowed to." Miguel bit his lip. *Come on Hitomi, think of a good reason.*  
  
"Because the people who I have been with have the power to destroy you and your Dragon Slayers, and they'll do just that if I tell." Dilandau studied her.   
  
"Then I guess, you should leave that fact in confindential for the time being." Relief came over her and she wrapped her arms around her chest.   
  
"I have waited for this day for so long, it doesn't seem real." She said, buring her face into his shirt. Dilandau left her alone for a moment, then pulled away.   
  
"Now isn't the time. We have to get out of here first. Then we have to find Rafe and get back to the Vione." Hitomi nodded, then once Dilandau turned away towards the cell door, bit her lip and shot Miguel a nervous look. *Great. Now what should we do?* She thought bitterly. She walked over to Dilandau.  
  
"You're right. Now isn't the time. Rafe can take care of himself. If the guards haven't brought him back by now, then he's either beyond our help or has gotten away from here. That is what we should do." Dilandau stared at her for a moment, then nodded, causing Miguel to sigh quietly with relief.   
  
"So what do we do now?" Dilandau asked, turning to her. She smirked.  
  
"I have some experience with our, 'friends' around here, since I lived outside their country for a while." She walked over to a shadowy corner and started counting the bricks on the wall until she reached the 15th one. Hitomi tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't move. After a moment, she stopped and turned to Dilandau. "Do you still have that dagger hidden in your boot?" She asked Dilandau. He shook his head.  
  
"No, they got ahold of it." He muttered.  
  
"I've still got my dagger." Miguel offered, handing it to her. She took hold of it and started digging at the brick, scraping away at the sides and wedging it into the cracks. Soon the brick came loose and was halfway out in one jerk. Tossing miguel's dagger back to him, she pulled the brick away, revealing a long hole behind it, with something that looked like a dagger inside. But, when she pulled it out, it turned out to be a long sword.   
  
"But Hitomi, what does having a sword have to do with getting us out of this place?" Dilandau demanded.   
  
"Just watch." She said. Walking over to the door, she leaned her arm with the sword out of the cage, towards something high in the wall.   
  
"Hitomi-" She told him to shut up, and he realized what she was doing as he heard the clink of metal against steel and she pulled the sword in to reveal the keys resting on the hilt. He alked over, pulled off the keys, and, wrapping one arm around her to pull her closer, said, "Hitomi Fanel, you never cease to amaze me." She smirked.   
  
"One of my many talents." With that, she snatched the keys out of his hand and pushed away. Dilandau stood where he was for a moment, shook his head and watched as she unlocked the door. Slowly, she opened the door and looked around. "Kay, come on. The weaponry room is down here. Let's get our swords back and get out of here."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: well, dilandau finally found hitomi, huh? but will he find out the truth? i   
dunno!! i haven't gotten to that yet!!! oh, by the way, if you want to know where they   
are, i don't know what country they're in, so can you make up a country. sorry, i's no   
good at that!!! sorry that this chapter was so short!!!! ^_~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~Wild Angel~ 


	8. Escpaed And In Trouble

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~Familiar Stranger~  
  
  
  
  
~Chapter 8~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
They found the weaponry room and was surprised to find it unguarded and unlocked.   
  
"They either have been slacking off with the security around here, or they're planning for   
us to fall into one of their traps." Hitomi said, instantly growing cautious. Dilandau looked around, searching for anything.   
  
"I don't see anything." He said, looking at her, waiting for her to answer. She looked around the room slowly, and could see their swords on the other side of the room.   
  
"I'm telling you, this seems like a setup." Nevertheless, they entered the room and walked over to where their swords were hanging on the wall. Dilandau and Miguel got theirs and Rafe's sword down, and Hitomi started looking around the room at the other weapons.  
  
"Hitomi?" Dilandau asked, confused. She ran her hands over a crossbow on the wall and took it down. Taking some arrows as well, she loaded it, aimed it at Dilandau and shot it. It struck the wall millimeters from Dilandau's neck, causing him to jump and back away. She looked the crossbow over again.   
  
"I like this. Kay, we can go now." Dilandau stared at the arrow embedded into the wall, then caught up with Hitomi and they left the room, heading for the hanger.   
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Hitomi was on extreme edge, deeply wary about the fact that they haven't met anyone.   
"I'm telling you, I have a bad feeling. This just isn't right." Miguel agreed with her and walked over to the door on the hanger. After studying it, he turned back to Dilandau.  
  
"It's got an odd lock on it sir."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Dilandau asked. Hitomi walked over to it and looked it over, recognizing it in an instant.  
  
"I've seen these before on the Mystic Moon. You type in a certian combination and the lock opens automatically. But what I can't understand is how Gaea got ahold of them."   
  
"So what's the combonation?" Miguel asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. It could take a while to crack it. We could always find another-" She stopped as Dilandau drove his sword into it and it broke off with a small explosion, causing the door toswingopen. "Yes, or, you could do that." She finished. Shaking her head, she entered the hanger   
and looked around. "Oh my gods! I'd rather fly back myself, rather then pilot one of these outdated guymelefs!" Hitomi snapped. Dilandau shook his head, laughing silently, and headed towards the   
edge.   
  
"You're not flying all the way back, that's too far; you'd probably kill yourself. but you're not taking a guymelef either. We're going to fly down, Miguel can take one of the guymelefs down, and we're going to walk the rest of the way." Hitomi groaned.  
  
"I'm starting to rethink the guymelefs." She muttered as she and Dilandau let out their wings and Miguel ran over to one of the guymelefs.   
  
  
Once back on the ground, they started towards the capital's direction.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
They finally made it to the gates of the Fortress for Zaibach's capital and Dilandau told them to open them.  
  
"And why would I do that?" Asked the guard over the gates. Dilandau was shocked then felt the anger start to boil up inside him.  
  
"How dare you. Do you have any idea who I am?!" The guard stared at him.  
  
"Am I supposed to? 'Cause I don't, and I could care less who you are anyway." Dilandau slapped his hand against his forhead, muttering foul language under his breath.  
  
"I'm the d*mn leader of this country!!" He snapped, starting to tremble with rage. Hitomi gently grabbed his arm.   
  
"Lord Dilandau-" He stopped her, waiting for the guard to comwe to his senses.  
  
"Well, I have orders from the leader of Zaibach to leave these gates locked until he gives the word."  
  
"What?! Why you-" Hitomi stopped him.  
  
"Lord Dilandau, come on. We'll find another way in." She hissed. Dilandau stared at her for a moment, then looked up at the guard with blood in his eyes, and walked away.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~^~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
"No good, useless, idiotic guard. Lowlife, insuliant, dirty, disgusting-"  
  
"Lord Dilandau?"  
  
"What?!" He snapped, whipping around to find a very startled Hitomi.  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you knew another way in."  
  
"Well, I thought maybe you would know that. Oh, wait, why should I think that?   
You've been absolutely useless to me!" Hitomi was shocked at the insult, and for once, wasn't   
able to think of something to say back. For a strange reason, she was hurt by the remark a lot   
more then she thought she would and walked away to let Dilandau steam over the insuliance   
of palace guards, as he put it. Miguel watched her leave, then turned to Dilandau.  
  
"Lord Dilandau, I don't understand how this is Hitomi's fault." Dilandau turned to   
Miguel, thoroughly annoyed.  
  
"I am not in the mood for your attitude, Lavileir. Don't start with me." He then walked   
off in the opposite direction Htiomi had left in. Miguel watched him leave, then glanced over at   
Hitomi, finding he couldn't see her. He followed the path she took and found her in a clearing by   
a river, starting a fire. He stopped a ways away, watching her. After a moment, he turned and left.  
  
She sat down in front of the fire, staring at it as if transfixed. *Is it true? Am I just a nuciance to Zaibach? To Dilandau? All I've done was fight some battles for him, which he has   
many men for as it is, and save his life a few times, which I am absolutely sure that I'm not the   
first of.* She stirred a stick in the flames until it caught fire, then pulled it out and stared at the   
small flame on the end of the wood. She waved her finger in the flame, then pulled it ot to stare   
at the burn on her finger. Sighing, she threw the stick into the fire and layed back to stare at the   
sky.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: well, guess dilly's in a bad mood. does he have to take it out on hitomi?  
what should happen next? hah, got me.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~Wild Angel~  
  
  
  
  



	9. Kidnapped!!!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hitomi sat up after a few minutes and pulled her sword off of her waist, Pulling it out of   
the scabbard slightly, she studied the way the light bounced off the edge of the blade and into her eyes. She sat like that for a while, letting the physical pain override the emotional pain swirling around inside of her at the moment. She slid the sword back in with disgust filling her for feeling so sorry for herself. She stood, clipping her sword back around her waist. *If Dilandau doesn't want me around, then I'll just go on without him.* She walked back to the clearing where Dilandau and Miguel were talking about what to do now. Dilandau spotted her approaching them out of the corner of his eye, and turned to face her.  
  
"Where have you been?!" He snapped. To his shock, she completely ignored him.   
Instead of even looking at him, she walked over to Miguel.   
  
"I'm going to head on by myself now." She told him, adjusting her sword belt, then   
looking up at him.  
  
"What? But why would you want to?"  
  
"I have my reasons." With these words said, she shocked Miguel, (and deeply angered Dilandau), by kissing Miguel powerfully. After a moment, she pulled away, leaving him out of breath and speechless. "Thanks for all you've done. I"ll come back someday." She turned and started to walk away, but felt a hand grab her arm. She turned and found herself looking into the immensly angered face of Dilandau Albatou, garnet eyes ablaze with an inner anger that had her on the verge of terror.   
  
"Miguel, I'll speak to you later." He hissed. Miguel understood what he was saying and quickly left the two alone. Dilandau stared at her for the longest time, then hissed through grit teeth, "Just where do you get the idea of taking off like this? You got something that you're upset about, you face your problem properly. You're still a Dragon Slayer, and you're still under my command, so you're going to stay right here. Don't take your anger out on me, 'cause I can easily solve all your problems in one battle." She jerked her arm out of his grip, glaring at him, disgust written all over her face  
  
"Well, you're one to talk, aren't you?"  
  
"Just what do you think you're talking about?!" She turned away, shaking her head and laughing. This just angered him more, and he gripped her shoulders hard, whipping her back around and squeezing them hard. "What's so funny?" He demanded in a low voice, eye twitching dangerously. She struggled in his grip, then stilled.   
  
"I mean, just because you can't get into Zaibach because of that so called traitor on the tower, you strike me down, calling me useless. Well, if I'm useless to you, I should just leave!!" He swore he could feel the anger building up inside of her, and her shirt started to stretch. She realized in shock that her wings had been set off from the anger inside of her. "Oh, perfect. Thanks alot." A second later, she fell to her knees in pain as they burst out, fanning out in all their glory, sending a titanium-white cloud of feathers raining to the ground. She looked up at Dilandau, thouroughly p*ssed. "I hope you're pleased. That hurt more then usual because it wasn't time to let them out."  
  
"What do you mean by "time"?" Dilandau questioned, kneeling beside her.  
  
"If you're born with the wings, then you have to let them out on your birthday every year to keep them from being damaged. If you get them the way you did, then this rule doesn't apply to you. You also only let them out in emergencies."   
  
"What happens if you don't let them out on the dates, or let them out when you're not supposed to?"   
  
"Then your wings become imobilized, and you can never let them out again. They   
become cramped, and soon, try to come out, ripping through your skin. If you don't die from them damaging your back, then you will from loss of blood. but this only happens after you've broken these restrictions 20 times. I now have only 8 more chances." Afte a moment, she stood, retracting them. "Now, since I'm, "useless", I'll be on my way." She turned and headed back the way they had came, in the opposite direction of the country.   
  
"Hitomi!" She stopped at the pleading sound of regret in his voice, but didn't turn back.  
  
"Like I said to Miguel, I might just come back." With this said, she disappeared into the shadows of the forest, leaving Dilandau feeling like he lost a part of him permanetly. Miguel watched from the edge of the clearing, then walked over to Dilandau.  
  
"Lord Dilandau?" Dilandau turned and looked at him, and Miguel was shocked beyond belief to find tears in Dilandau's eyes. He quickly brushed them away.  
  
"Miguel Lavileir, what am I going to do? I just lost the one and only person I care about, maybe for good." After a moment, he shook his head, and gripped Miguel by the collar of his shirt. "If you tell ANYONE that I was crying, I will make you pay for the rest of your pathetic life." Miguel watched him walk away towards some glade in the shadows.   
  
"He really does love Hitomi." He looked towards the path that Hitomi took, and sighed.  
  
  
  
  
  
Hitomi was about half a mile down the path when she heard the sounds of footsteps   
behind her on the trail. She slowed slightly, then gripped her sword tightly, but didn't stop. After a moment, she heard a branch break, and started to turn to see who was following her, but someone grabbed her from behind around her waist, pinning her arms down. Another hand came up and covered her mouth quickly with a cloth drenched in a sweet smelling fragrance. She felt herself go limp and she collapsed against the form behind her. Before she passed out, she heard two male voices whispering fiercely,  
  
"You get the right one this time?"  
  
"Oh calm down. Yes, it's her. I'd recognize her anywhere."  
  
"Yeah, because she beat you so badly. You could never forget someone who beat you   
the way she did."  
  
"Shut up. That's not the only way I know her. Just help me get her onto the   
Leva-ship." That was all she was able to hear before she drifted into unconciousness.  
  
  
  
  
~3~hours~later~  
  
Hitomi came to slowly, her head aching slightly. She opened her eyes and at first, imagined she was tied down to a slab of stone and was back in her leather pants and undershirt. But when she shook her head, then opened her eyes again, she found she was actually in a softly lit room that had a beautiful fire glowing in the corner hearth. She also noticed that she was laying on a large, kingsize canopy bed that was colored in different shades of red. When she sat up and pushed back the blankets, she also realized that she wasn't alone.   
  
"Nice to see you're awake." A voice said softly. She saw a man that seemed to be around his early twenties sitting at a table, studying a wine glass that he had sitting on the table infront of him as he swirled the wine inside it around slowly with his finger. Her breath caught in her throat as she studied him. He was wearing black cloth pants, and his dark green shirt was untied, showing the upper part of his chest. He had light brown hair, and the tips of his hair seemed to have the effect of being dipped in gold dust. His dark blue eyes stared at the wine glass from under his bangs with semi-concentration.   
  
After a moment, he stood and walked over to the fire, stirring the coals on the bottom, then tossed another log onto the fire, watched it burn, and turned back to Hitomi. "I was starting to wonder when you were going to wake up." Walking over to her, he sat down on the bed beside her and brushed a strand of her hair out of her face, then trailed his fingers down to below her chin, lifting up her face so he could get a better view of her eyes.  
  
"Why do you have me here?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Because you owe me something."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"I'll tell you later on. Right now, we have to get you changed into some clean clothes. You can't go walking around in you're Dragon Slayer uniform." She pulled away, startled and confused.  
  
"How did you know that I'm a Dragon Slayer?"  
  
"I know alot of things about you. But like I said, we need to get you changed."  
  
"If you come near me with a peice of clothing that is like a dress in any way, shape or form, I will break both of your arms." She warned. He just laughed.  
  
"Don't worry, I already know how much of a tomboy you are. Never did play to the role of princess very well."  
  
"How-" She stopped herself, already knowing the answer. Getting up, she followed him out of the room and down the hall and into the changing room.  
  
A few minutes later, she was somewhat satisfied with her outfit. She was in a white dress-like outfit that went to her feet and had long slits up the sides past her hips and tight, white cloth pants underneth the, "dress". The top part of the outfit didn't have any sleeves; it just wrapped around her under her arms and the back was completely bare, except for the strings that held up the top part of the outfit. The man that she had met before was studying her closely, making her blush slightly.   
  
"You should wear white more often. It suits you." He said quietly. She picked at the side of the slit on the left, causing it to slide back and reveal more leg without her noticing. He bit his lip at this.  
  
"At least I'm wearing pants along with it." She muttered, sighing. She looked up at him. "You ever plan on telling me why I'm here?"  
  
"Later on." He said.  
  
"How 'bout your name?"  
  
"Deje." *Deje. Lord Dilandau will be pleased to learn the name of my kidnapper.* She thought bitterly as she followed Deje down the hall. After a while, they came out into a large room wilth a large table in the center that was laden with luxurious meals. Seated all along the sides were many men and women dressed in formal wear. All twenty heads were following them as they walked over to the table.  
  
"My good people, thank-you for being so patient. As I have promised, I have brought someone special with me. May I introduce, Miss Hitomi, the Princess of Fanelia." This brought about a huge buzz of whispering, then once the silence returned, Hitomi sat down, extremely confused. She saw that she was seated directly next to Deje, who was sitting at the head of the table. After a moment, one man stood, still gripping his wine glass tightly.  
  
"Lord Deje, is this true? Is this the missing princess of many rumours that we've heard when we first set foot in Dynasty?" *Lord Deje?!* Hitomi thought in shock, blushing at all the people staring at her.  
  
"Yes, King Kaizer,this is the same princess." The woman sitting beside him stared at Hitomi curiously. She seemed only a few years older then Hitomi herself, and the king that had spoken seemed to be around Deje's age. "King Kazier, if you would sit down, then we could begin this fine meal that the chefs have laid out for us." The king reluctantly took his seat, then, almost instantly, a woman four seats down stood up, slamming her hands down on the table.   
  
"Lord Deje!!! Are you telling me that Me and my daughter have come all the way up here for nothing?!! Are you telling us that this-" She looked at Hitomi with obvious distaste. "Young woman is the princess of Fanelia just because she is Drac-"  
  
"Queen Iris!!" Deje said harshly, startling Hitomi. "I would ask of you to shut your mouth unless you are about to eat! I never said that she was going to be my queen. As usual, you have jumped to outrageos conclusions, without any right. If I hear one more unkind word from you, or anyone at this table, then I will have the speaker instantly removed from the castle. Is this understood?" The rest of the guests nodded quietly, and, her face a deep crimson, Queen Iris sat down, straightening her skirt to avoid Deje's glare. Hitomi instantly did not like Queen Iris at all.  
  
All throughout the meal, Hitomi could feel the eyes watching her every move. When the meal was over, Hitomi wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but knew that this would be very rude. After a moment, She excused herself, and walked out into the large garden. She then remembered that she was still wearing her sword and pulled it out of the scabbard. She glanced up at the castle, caught a glimpse of Queen Iris breezing through the castle angirly, muttering to herself, shook her head, laughing, and started sparring. Deje watched her from a distance, intrested in the sight before him. *I don't think Queen Iris had a bad idea. She would make for a nice queen, as long as she didn't decapitate   
me for presenting her with the idea.*   
  
Hitomi was halfway through the paces when Deje came out from the corner. "Hitomi, wouldn't that be more challenging if you had an experienced partner to go up against?" Hitomi just smirked.  
  
"If you think you can keep up with me."   
  
  
  
Queen Iris stood on her balcony, watching in shock and disgust as she watched Hitomi and Deje sparring down in the garden.   
  
"Disgraceful. Absolutely shameful. A so-called "princess" should not disgrace herself by becoming a warrior." She watched as Hitomi blocked attack after attack from Deje. Her daughter came out and stood beside her.   
  
"Mother, you don't think that she poses a threat in my chances with Deje, do you?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll personally make sure that she has no hope of being more then a lowlife warrior." * I don't care what Deje says. A princess from Fanelia is a very large risk in our chances. We can't take that chance.*  
  
  
Hitomi swung her sword down at Deje's waist, which he easily blocked. but she instantly pulled her sword away and swung her sword at his throat before he could recover. He stepped to the side, and as she didn't have time to recover from the force behind her strike, so she wasn't able to stop herself. She was 3 feet away from Deje when she was able to stop. She turned in time to see Deje come up to her with his sword aimed at her throat. To her shock, he tripped her instead of knocking away her sword, and she fell to the ground on her back. Her sword flew from her hand and embedded into the ground 5 feet away, and she found herself staring into the blade of Deje's sword. After a moment, he pulled the blade away and helped her up.  
  
"Very impressive. You were able to last more then twice as long as my usual competers, and you were much harder to take down. No wonder Dilandau was so willing to let you join." She looked up at him in shock, then looked over her outfit. Hitomi was shocked to see that there were no stains on her outfit.   
  
"I've had better battles. I'm just out of practice." She looked up at him. "Did you bring me out here because you need a wife?" Hitomi demanded quietly.   
  
"Not at first, but it doesn't seem like a bad idea, if you want my honest opinion." She stared at him for a moment, as if she were searching him to see if he was serious.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, but my heart already belongs to someone else." Hitomi said softly. She then turned, retrieved her sword, and left him standing in the garden.  
  
"Well, I believe that I have just been shot down for the first time in my life." He said quietly. "I think that I have a new game in mind." He headed in the direction Hitomi left in. "Here's a riddle: How much will it take to win the taken heart of a powerful warrior princess?" A grin slid across his face. "Guess I'll have to find out."  
  
  
Hitomi walked through the halls, exploring the castle. She was in the weaponry room, looking over a crossbow, when she thought she heard someone walk in the room. Her instincts told her to be on edge, and she'd learned to trust them. She slowly turned, and, even though she didn't see anybody, started to look around the room. She opened a closet, and, finding only old swords and spears, was about to close it when a small form burst out and tackled her. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was on her back, and a trembling cat-girl was on top of her. It took her a moment, but she was able to recognize the cat-girl.  
  
"Merle!" She still remembered when she and the cat-girl met in Van's castle after she left Zaibach the first time. Hitomi sat up, and could see terror in the cat-girl's green eyes, which startled her. "Merle, what's wrong?"   
  
"Oh, Hitomi!! Y-you ARE alive Thank t-the Gods!!! L-lord Van's m-missing!!!!" She cried out, bursting into tears and wrapping her arms around Hitomi, buried her face into Hitomi's chest. Hitomi was in shock, and as she unconciously wrapped her arms around Merle's shaking back, she stared into space, absolutely shocked and horrified. "H-he's been gone f-for 2 weeks, I've been l-looking for you everywhere because I knew you would kn-know what to do." Hitomi looked down at her. *Van's...missing?!* Merle looked up at her. "Y-you know what to do, right? 'Cause you're Van's sister, s-so you think like he does, and h-he would know what to do." *She's right. I've got to snap out of it.*  
  
"Merle, when was the last time you saw Van?" Merle thought for a moment.  
  
"He was heading into the woods outside Zaibach when I saw him last."  
  
"Oh no." Hitomi gasped. She stood suddenly, scaring Merle.  
  
"What's wrong?!"   
  
"Merle, come with me!" Hitomi ran off down the hall, Merle following on all fours.  
  
"Hitomi, where are we going?!" Hitomi didn't answer; she turned a corner, and bolted down some stairs. She ran down a damp hall, and just when Merle was feeling tired, Hitomi skidded to a stop, causing Merle to run into her. "What happened?! Why'd you stop!? Hitomi!!" Hitomi didn't answer her; she was too busy staring into a cell. Merle saw that she was gripping the bars so tightly that her knuckles were white. Merle looked in, and almost fainted with terror: Van was in the cell, unconcious.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Sorry I haven't added in a long time. High school and lots'a homework can be a real time filler, as well as a drag. But now that I have more time, I'll be adding more often. Once again, I'm really, truly sorry.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~Wild Angel~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. In The Presence Of A Traitor

  
  
  
"Lord Van!!!!!!" Merle cried out. "Lord Van, are you o-" She was stopped short as Htiomi covered her mouth with her hand. Merle struggled to break free, then bit Hitomi's hand hard. Hitomi winced, but didn't say anything; she just dragged Merle into the shadows, as she had heard footsteps coming.  
  
"We're not supposed to be down here!" Hitomi hissed. Hitomi could feel her hand starting to bleed, so she moved it away from Merle's mouth, knowing she wouldn't say anything as there were now 4 men standing just in front of them, their backs facing them.  
  
"Why did you bring him here?" A soft voice demanded which she instantly recognized as Deje's.  
  
"Because he attacked us, also, this is the man you were looking for."  
  
"Van Fanel is the king of Fanelia? This is the operater of Escaflowne, this, this young boy?"  
  
"He's now twenty, sir. He became king at 15. That's the custom for Fanelia, remember?"  
  
"Of COURSE I remember!!! But, I thought...wasn't Folken Fanel supposed to become king?"  
  
"He was, but after the dragon he was battling bit off his arm, he joined Zaibach, then died a few years later. His brother took his place." The man beside him said quietly.  
  
"So, this boy, sorry, young man, is Fanelia's king. This is Hitomi's brother." He stared at him for the longest time.  
  
"Sir? What do you want us to do with him?"  
  
"What I have planned to do with the king of Fanelia." The people at his side followed him as he left. After a moment, Hitomi slowly walked out of the shadows, checking for any more guards. When the coast was clear, she walked over to Van's cell.   
  
"Whatever they have planned for Van, I have a feeling it's not good." Merle looked up at her, then down the hall.   
  
"Hitomi, they're coming back!!" Hitomi got an idea and pushed Merle into the shadows, but she stayed by the bars, and pretended to be studying Van closely. Deje came down the hall, then, spotting Hitomi, told the others to go back up to the castle. When he was alone, he walked over to her. She ignored him until he was right beside her, then turned and looked at him.  
  
"Who is that?" She asked softly.  
  
"You don't know who that is?" She shook her head, trying hard not to smirk at the confused look on his face.   
  
"Why is he here?" Deje instantly grew cautious.   
  
"He's just here because he attacked some of my men. After we interrogate him, we're letting him go if he doesn't have anything to hide." He turned back to Van. "I don't know what he wants, so I don't want you down here without an escort if he's awake, alright?" She nodded, and turned to the other cages, pretending that she was looking at all the other prisoners. Deje watched her for a moment, then left.   
  
What she didn't know, was that Deje had a moniter in every room, and he was watching her closely.  
  
"Merle, we've got to get him out of here."  
  
"I'm AWARE of that Hitomi. What I want to know is HOW!!!" Hitomi looked around, feeling useless and not liking it. She spotted some keys up on the wall, but it was hard to see them because they blended with the wall so well.  
  
"Merle, how high can you jump?"  
  
"6 feet, why?"  
  
"I need you to get those keys." Merle scoffed.  
  
"No problem." Merle easily caught ahold of them and handed them over to Hitomi. Hitomi flipped through key after key, trying to find the right one. She finally found it and jammed it into the lock. Wrencing the door open, she ran in and kneeled beside him. They had his hands locked above his head, and when she unlocked his wrists, he collapsed against her.  
  
"Oh, Van." Hitomi sighed, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his hair. Merle crawled over to her and put her hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Hitomi, we'd better get him out of here" She looked up, then nodded slightly. After a moment, she stood, placing Van's arm over her shoulder, then foze when she saw Deje standing at the door, an emotionless look on his face.  
  
"Well, this does put an interesting turn on things. I guess you're quite a good actor,   
Htiomi."  
  
"How do you think I put up with you?!" She snapped. she saw that she had pushed Deje too far and turned to Merle. "You're gonna have to get past him and go find help."  
  
"But, how do I get past him?!"  
  
"You're a cat! You've got claws and teeth, so use them if you have to!!" She nodded and ran at Deje, dodging him as he reached out for her; she ran down the hall and out of sight. He turned to Hitomi, who had lowered Van and pulled out her sword. He just smirked and pulled out his own sword.  
  
"Two Draconians for the price of one, how nice!!" He said as he charged. She quickly backed away from Van and ran at him. Their swords met and she was face to face with him. "I only needed one Draconian, but two will power it up even more!!"  
  
"What?!" She grit her teeth from the force behind his next blow, then stared at him. "Power what up even more?!"  
  
"Oh but you don't want me to ruin your surprise now, do you?" He went to trip her, but she jumped over his foot, and landed 3 feet away from him. To her shock, he pulled out some kind of crossbow that held something that looked like a small arrow. He pulled the trigger, and she dodged it, watching it hit the wall and fall to the ground. A sudden peircing pain ran through her back, and she realized in shock as she fell to her knees, then collapsed against Van that he had hit her with the other strange arrow. Then she blacked out.  
  
  
  
Merle had to stop, for she had been running for a long time. Her ears picked up the sound of branches breaking, and she turned, her fur bristled, to see Dilandau and Miguel, and they both had swords pointing at her.  
  
"Well now, Miguel, how do you like the sound of a little meat for dinner?" Dilandau asked softly. Merle panicked, then thought of something.  
  
"If you kill me, you'll never be able to find Hitomi again!!" She was praying that this would work, for he hadn't moved, then sighed with relief as he lowered his blade, and Miguel followed suit.  
  
"If you're lying, I won't hesitate to kill you on the spot." He hissed, putting his sword away.  
  
"Whatever, just get moving, we don't have time to fight!" She snapped as she dropped to all fours and took off in the direction she had come from with Miguel and Dilandau close behind.  
  
  
  
Hitomi woke up with alot of pressure on her arms and shoulders, and saw why when she opened her eyes. She was strung up by her wrists 30 feet off the ground, and she saw that Van was in the same position 6 feet away.  
  
"Deje, you b*st*rd, you tricked me."  
  
"Oh, come on, don't tell me this is the first time that you've used your powers for something besides saving a life." Deje teased as he walked across a catwalk to stand directly in front of her.   
  
"What do you think you're doing?!"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? With the combined powers of you and Van's draconian royal blood pact powers added to my guymelefs, I'll be able to overpower Zaibach easily." Hitomi stared at him, stunned.  
  
"You're insane. Adding Draconian blood will just make your guymelefs unpredictable, not invincible." Deje smirked and ran a hand down her cheek.  
  
"Whatever you say, sweetheart." He teased. He ran his fingers over her mouth, causing her to snap her teeth at him. He jerked his head back, still grinning. "Now is that any way for a lady to act?" He questioned as he walked over to a panel. She watched as he pulled a lever down.   
  
"I'm not a lady." She hissed as he busied himself with levers and buttons. "I'm a warrior."  
  
"And a d*mn good one, too." He then turned to her. "Now this is going to hurt alot, so be sure to scream." And he pulled a lever down. She waited, then gasped in shock as a river of electrical pain ran through her entire body.   
  
Van decided to wake up then, and looked over to see Hitomi struggling to hold in her cries of pain, he eyes shut tightly. She opened one eye slowly, her teeth grit together, then threw her head back and cried out as Deje turned the power up. Van watched, confused and horrified. *Hitomi's alive?! I can't believe it!! So the rumors are true?!? What am I going to do?! He's taking her power, and I'm helpless to stop it!!*   
  
Deje turned the power up even more, and her lungs were ready to to burst from holding in her cries. Finally, as he turned the power up full, she let out her cries and screams. Van struggled to get loose, but failed. He watched in shock as her wings forced themselves out, then were folded in on themselves from the pain. He glanced around the room he was in, looking for any sharp objects. He noticed movement from the shadown, and saw a form come out from them; Dilandau was stalking Deje. Unfortunetely, Deje must have noticed him, because he turned, pulled out his sword, and attacked Dilandau in one swift movement. Deje left the controls unattended and at full blast. Van looked down, and to his relief, saw Merle jumping from ledge to ledge until she lifted herself onto the catwalk, and studied the controls for a moment, then turned the power off, causing Hitomi to stop screaming, her head hanging.   
  
Deje turned at the sudden lack of screaming and, cursing, ran over to the controls. He went to turn it back on, but Merle hissed and clawed his hand, causing him to jerk his hand back, giving Dilandau another cance to attack him. Merle climbed up onto the beam that Van was tied to, slid down the rope, and cut Van loose. Van landed and rolled, coming to rest on his knees. Glancing over to the fight and seeing that Dilandau was keeping Deje occupied, climbed up onto the catwalk with the controls and untied Hitomi. She was unconcious, and lighter then she was supposed to be. *He's drained all of her energy.* Van realized in anger.  
  
  
Dilandau was doing his best to keep Deje busy, as he was trying to get to the controls. Knowing that this was the person who had kidnapped Hitomi and had just attepted to use her powers against Zaibach, he used this to get him more angered and give Deje a real workout.  
  
Van signaled to Dilandau to get his*ss out of there, so he ran from the fight, startling Deje. Van reluctantly handed Hitomi over to Dilandau, as Van had to carry Merle out, and the two of them let out their wings, escaping from the Leva-ship and giving Miguel the signal to set off the bomb he had set up. The two of them waited until they were a safe distance away, then turned and watched as Miguel escaped in his guymelef and the Leva-ship exploded. Dilandau looked over at Van.   
  
"Don't think this changes anything, Fanel. We're still enemies." Van smirked.  
  
"Good. I wouldn't want it any other way." Dilandau stared at him for a minute, then looked down at Hitomi.   
  
"We'd better get her somewhere safe where she can restore her strength. For some reason, the guard won't let us into Zaibach, so do you think that I would be allowed into the country walls of Fanelia?"   
  
"I don't see why not, as you have just saved it's princess's royol butt." Dilandau smirked, and they flew down to the ground. "We should stay here for the night. It'll be dark at any moment."  
  
"Good idea." Dilandau stared at Hitomi for a moment, then looked up at Van. "She'll be alright, won't she?" Van bit his lip.   
  
"I'm not sure. She's awfully worn out. If she'd been in that contraption any longer, and..." He trailed off, but Dilandau knew what he was going to say. "I'm not sure if she'll be able to use her powers again for a long time, let alone call her wings out." Van knelt in a dry clearing, and started a fire in a pre-made pit. "Lay her down here, so she'll stay warm." Dilandau walked over and layed her down by the pit. He watched as Van held a long, thick branch in his hand, and he gripped the opposite end tightly for a moent, then pulled his hand away, and the end was on fire.  
  
"How did you..." Van looked up at him.  
  
"All Draconians have special powers, you just haven't developed your powers enough yet." Dilandau watched as he continued to build up the fire. Soon, it was large and warm, but for the first time, Dilandau completely ignored it. He sat by the fire with Hitomi leaning back against him, her head just below his chin. Van watched, surprised to see Dilandau displaying so much emotion so freely. *Can Dilandau really care for her so much? It seems so strange, that Dilandau actually cares for someone so much." Van then stood up and headed into the woods.  
  
"Where are you going?" Dilandau demanded.  
  
"I'm going to look for some food.' She'll need it for when she wakes up." *IF she wakes up.* Dilanda thought, looking down at her, then looking up at the sky. 


	11. Stirrings Of Good and Evil (oh boy)

~~~~IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!! READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~  
  
now that i have your attention, i just realized that i have forgotten a very crucial detail. It has come to my realization that i didn't tell you that the sorcerers have attempted to resurrect Folken, but failed in a weird way. They weren't able to fully revive him, so instead of being a full human, he is kinda like a ghost/holographic image. He can talk and listen and move around, but is, well, like a ghost. Since he is unable to rule Zaibach (obviously), he is now kind of like Dilandau's advisor, as Dilandau will most definately need help in his new position.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Miguel watched as Dilandau studied the stars from his side of the fire, and couldn't help but feel an ache in his heart. *Hitomi truly does love Lord Dilandau. I can almost feel their love radiating from them. Hitomi may never know about my feelings for her, but maybe it's best that way.* He picked at the fire with a stick, then layed back and closed his eyes.  
  
  
Dilandau finally looked down from his gaze at the sky. "Hitomi, you'll be okay. I don't know what to do, but I'll be d*mned if you leave my side again. I wish Van would hurry up and get here." He laughed softly. "I never in my life thought I would ever say something like that. Strange,   
how under the right circumstances, enemies can become allies." He leaned his chin on top of her head. "Even if it's only temporary." He stared into the fire, feeling her heart beating against his chest at the same time of his. He felt her heart suddenly speed up, and she gasped in a breath as her eyes opened and she looked up at him. A small, weak smile crossed her lips at the concerned look on his face.  
  
"Hey. What you so upset about?" Dilandau bit his lip, managing to somehow hold back   
the many tears starting in his eyes, then pulled her to him, burying his face into her hair.  
  
  
  
Van had already caught enough food for them, and he was on his way back when he stopped and stared up at the Moon in the sky. *What am I going to do...Hitomi is in such a bad state,   
I don't know if she's going to pull out of this. Dilandau will kill me if she doesn't make it out of this alive. Literally. And we don't even know if that man that's responsible for Hitomi's condition is really gone. Until we're sure he's dead, Hitomi will still be in danger. One more experience like that will kill her. I'd better get back.* The pensive look left his face and he headed back.   
  
When he entered the clearing, he hung back a moment, as Dilandau was still holding Hitomi, who was almost begging him to loosen his grip some. He held back a laugh, then walked into the clearing, setting the kill down by the fire.  
  
"I see you're awake, Hitomi." He said quietly. Dilandau looked up at him as Hiotmi tried to sit up, but Dilandau wouldn't let her.  
  
"I am not a porcalian doll! I won't break!!!!! Would you let me up?!" She shoved him away and sat up on her own, then swayed and collapsed against Dilandau. Van got to his knees   
beside her and positioned her so she was facing him.   
  
"Hitomi, you have to stay still, or you could seriously hurt yourself." He said sternly. She rolled her eyes, but otherwise obeyed. Van had to try extremely hard to hold in the laugh at the expression on her face; she was not pleased. He glanced over at Miguel and saw that he was fast asleep. This caused the grin on his face to widen. *Well, Miguel looks mightly comfortable.*  
  
Merle woke up then, and crawled over to Van, curling into his leg to get warm, enjoying the heat that was being given off by the fire. Hitomi sighed and leaned back, causing Merle to prick her ears and look up at her. Hitomi stared down at her for a minute, then looked up at Dilandau.  
  
"How long have I been unconcious?"  
  
"Not long. Around half an hour." Van said before Dilandau could utter a sound. Dilandau glared at him, but didn't say anything. This bothered Hitomi, as he didn't usually back down from insulting someone. She wanted desparetely to stand and walk around, but didn't have the strength to sit up, let alone fight away from Dilandau. Besides, she didn't want to leave Dilandau's embrace just yet, so she sighed and curled into Dilandau's chest, listening to his heart beating rythmatically.  
  
  
  
  
Back at the wreakage of the Leva-ship, Deje stumbled out of the rubble, dusting himself   
off and nursing the wound on his shoulder. He looked up at the direction the "rebels" had taken off   
in.   
  
"You may think that you've won, Hitomi. But I'm far from finished with you. Just wait. You haven't seen me for the last time." He turned back to his Leva-ship, or what was left of it, and after looking through what was left of the ship, managed to find a luckily unbreakable glass vile three-quarters full of a transparent liquid with a light blue tint to it. "D*mn. I only got 3/4's of her lifeforce. Now what?" He thought for a moment. "And I still need her blood, and alot of it, to complete the formula with." An evil sneer croosed his face, and his eyes took on a deadly gleam. "You still owe me something, Hitomi. You as well, Van." He said as he headed towards the woods.  
  
  
  
  
Hitomi had fallen asleep in Dilandau's embrace, Merle and Miguel were still asleep and Van was laying on his back, staring up at the sky. Dilandau had been quiet for a while, but something was bothering him. He looked around the clearing, then sighed.   
  
"Hey Van."  
  
"What?" He muttered.  
  
"Is it true that if you're born with the wings, then you have to let them out on your birthday every year to keep them from being damaged?" Van sat up, staring at Dilandau as if he were crazy.  
  
"Of course not. Where'd you hear that?" Dilandau looked away.  
  
"Just a rumour that I heard once."  
  
"Well, it sure as h*ll isn't true. You have a lot to learn about being a Draconian, Dilandau."  
  
"I know." Van stared at him, shocked. *I know? That's it? That's not like Dilandau.* After a moment, Van mentally shrugged and turned away. *Why do I care?*   
  
  
  
~Back at the Vione~  
  
The slayers were in the training room, working overtime and extra hard.  
  
"What's wrong with Lord Dilandau? He's never made us work this hard, even if a war was coming up." Viole gasped as he fended off a blow from Dalet.  
  
"I know. He completely changed ever since he returned from the encounter with Van Fanel, and why didn't he bring Miguel and Rafe back with him?"  
  
"DALET!! MIGUEL!! Stop talking and actually TRY to get in at least ONE good battle!!!" A harsh voice snapped.  
  
"Yes sir!" They said in unison, both of them immediantly working harder. A form sitting   
on Dilandau's throne grinned, his face shrouded in shadow.   
  
"Yes, Lord Deje." He hissed quietly so no one would hear him. "You were right. Everything is going according to plan." The form looked around the room. "They don't suspect a thing. Soon, our second part of this flawless plan will go into action. Hitomi Fanel will be by your side, that annoying brother of hers will be out of the way, and all of Zaibach will be yours." He was quiet for a moment. "But what about the real Albatou? What should I do if he returns?" Silence again. "Yes sir."  
  
Deje threw the intercom he was speaking ino a second ago onto the ground, then whistled loudly. After a moment, an enormous silver dragon glided by, and dipped down towards him. He jumped onto the beasts back.   
  
*Find her, Miaki. Find Hitomi Fanel.* He ordered silently. The dragon instantly turned to the west and took off, Deje sitting on her back with his arms folded, a smug grin on his face. *We shall meet very soon, Hitomi.*  
  
  
  
Dilandau looked up at the sound of huge wings striking through the air and watched a massive dragon glide by. After it was gone, he looked back down into the fire.  
  
Deje watched the small group from the tree he had jumped into. *Hmmm...Dilandau, miguel, and some catgirl. I can take on the slayer and cat no problem, and Hitomi is too weak form my last encounter to put up a fight. It's the other two that have me thinking. Dilandau and Van aren't pushovers. How should I approach this...yes, that's a good idea.* He looked up, then watched the dragon fly by again. *Miaka, distract them. Try to lead them away from Hitomi.* Obeying instantly, the dragon swooped down in the clearing, roaring loudly, waking Miguel and Merle, then circling Dilandau, as if teasing him. Deje watched the hunger in Dilandau's eyes grow; he knew of Dilandau's love for hunting dragons, and Miaka was a prize indeed.   
  
Miaka snapped her jaws at Dilandau, challenging him to come after her. But Dilandau didn't abandon Hitomi. Deje narrowed his eyes. *This isn't going to work, Miaka. Improvise.* The dragon reared back, then let out a jet of flames, setting the entire clearing on fire. Dilandau stood, Hitomi in his arms, eyeing the fire, watching as it grew closer.   
  
"Any ideas Van?"  
  
"Nothing. Merle, you hurting my arm." Merle instantly let go of Van's arm, but stayed beside him, her fur bristled. Miguel looked up at the dragon circling them, and pulled out his sword.  
  
"Lord Dilandau? May I?"  
  
"No. Something's not right." Dilandau said, watching the huge reptile as well. "That's not a wild dragon." He looked around the clearing. "Someone sent that beast here." Van managed to see an opening where the fire was dying down, and pointed it out to Dilandau. They escaped the flames, but not the dragon.   
  
Dilandau turned to Van. "How close is Fanelia?"  
  
"A few miles, why?"  
  
"Go get the Escaflowne. I have a feeling this has something to do with that man."  
  
"I'm not leaving this dragon here to do what it wants to you guys."  
  
"Lord Van?" Merle said quietly. "Hitomi will be okay. She has Miguel and Dilandau to watch her. We should hurry and get the Escaflowne then come get them. Come on, Hitomi will be fine." She begged, gripping his arm again. "Lord Van, I want to go home. Please?" Van looked at Merle's pleading eyes, then caved.   
  
"Oh, alright then...." He turned to Dilandau. "You let anything happen to her, and I'll kill you."   
Van then turned and left with Merle at his heels. Dilandau looked up at the dragon, then down at   
Miguel, who had let his sword lean against the ground, but was still gripping it tightly, watching the dragon.  
  
"What do we do, sir?"  
  
"What do you think, Miguel? You've got some dragon slaying to do." 


End file.
